The Unfinished Swan review – arm breaker

Sony’s latest artsy effort for the PlayStation 3 has some of the most striking visuals of the year. But is the gameplay just as memorable?

The Unfinished Swan (PS3) – the creeping terror

Despite the peculiar name we thought we had The Unfinished Swan pegged. We saw it at E3 and the demo involved exploring a completely white environment and firing balls of black paint to reveal objects. But although this is a part of the game, and seems to be the focus for most of the marketing, it’s not the full story by any means…In actual fact the whole paint-lobbing aspect is just 20 minutes or so at the beginning of the first chapter, which is probably for the best because we were wondering how they were going to make it last a whole game.The Unfinished Swan desperately wants people to call it art, and Sony and developer Giant Sparrow are probably hoping that it gets compared to fellow PlayStation Network titles Journey and Flower. Not in terms of mechanics, but in its attempts to inspire higher emotions through gameplay. It does succeed at that, occasionally, but at a crippling cost.The game’s story involves an orphan named Monroe, who has inherited his mother’s magic paintbrush and her last, unfinished painting. One day he finds a swan has escaped from the painting and the game is spent trying to follow in its golden footsteps.The whole paint-throwing element is controlled via the first person and ideally using a PlayStation Move controller. It’s a wonderfully laid back experience, the calming music combining with the gradual reveal of the world around you. Even though you’re really just uncovering what’s already there it feels as if you’re participating in a genuine act of creation.There’s no real skill in what you’re doing though, and the game is sensible enough to know when to move on – at least in the first chapter. Technically variety is not the problem here, but despite a wide range of different ideas none of them has any substance or longevity. In the second chapter, for example, there are creeping vines which you can grow with the paintbrush and use to access new areas.At this point the game becomes more of a platformer, but although the vines are an interesting idea they again require no skill or puzzle-solving to use properly. Hitting switches to operate machinery and open doors don’t even have novelty on their side. The game world is still an intriguingly attractive one to explore but despite being only two or three hours long The Unfinished Swan seems to drag slowly by for most of its running time.By the second half the game begins to introduce lethal hazards, although the punishment for succumbing to them is merely being put back a few feet to the last checkpoint. The use of light and shadow becomes more interesting at this stage too, as you manipulate lanterns to keep back creepy-eyed spiders.The platforming elements gain extra prominence too, as you’re able to stretch and resize platforms via a sort of extra-dimensional blueprint. The story, about a vainglorious king, also comes more to the fore and although it begins to suffocate the atmosphere in the final half hour the actual ending is surprising satisfying.Especially give the modest price it’s hard to know what to make of The Unfinished Swan. In terms of raw gameplay it’s inarguably shallow and at times half broken. The Move controls are an unnecessary faff after the first half hour and the platforming is vague and unsatisfying enough as it is without adding motion controls to the mix.And although it’s rich in symbolism we’re not entirely convinced that the game’s narrative has any real purpose. Monroe’s inability to find closure at the loss of his mother is the most obvious thread but a lot of the other elements are so open to interpretation as to be almost worthless. We get the distinct impression that a lot of the more memorable moments are there simply because they look interesting, rather than because they have any deeper meaning.Art is what you make of it though, and clearly no one is going to go into The Unfinished Swan expecting the next Call Of Duty. But if you are hoping for another emotional experience on par with Journey or Flower then we fear you’re going to leave unsatisfied rather than unfinished.In Short:Not a very satisfying or enjoyable video game to play, but still a fascinating one to experience – with some beautifully stark imagery and ideas.Pros:The visuals are gorgeous and the atmosphere they help create is unlike any other. Some nice gameplay gimmicks, particularly in using paint to create the world around you.Cons:All of the gameplay elements are clever but none of them are much fun, and many – particularly the vines – outstay their welcome. Irritating motion controls.Score:5/10Formats: PlayStation NetworkPrice: £9.99Publisher: Sony Computer EntertainmentDeveloper: Giant SparrowRelease Date: 24th October 2012Age Rating: 7Video:Check out The Unfinished Swan trailer